About The QED Silver Anniversary XT Speaker Cable
One of Audio Trends favourites is the QED Reference Silver Anniversary XT Speaker Cable. This cable comes factory terminated with some of the very best high quality 4mm (Banana) plugs - QED's superior Airloc Forté metal plugs. These are connected to the cable using the time-tested cold weld system. They are available in 2 metre, 3 metre and 5 metre pairs.
Part of QED's Reference Range, Silver Anniversary XT has been specifically designed as the natural replacement for the multi-award winning Silver Anniversary speaker cable. Combining the features of Silver Anniversary with the added enhancement of X-Tube technology to combat the skin effect and deliver stunning detail. High performance low density polyethylene dielectric cuts down on the amount of audio signal energy lost due to cable capacitance. Silver plated 99.999% OFC conductors provides a low frequency path for the audio signal and delivers stunning high frequency detail.
X-Tube Technology: At low frequencies both X-Tube and conventional stranded/solid core speaker cables convey signals in a linear way. However, at high frequencies, X-Tube retains a near-linear signal transfer, whereas the conventional cables fail to conduct uniformly across the entire conductor area. In standard speaker cables at high frequencies current flow is highest at the periphery with rapidly deteriorating current density towards the centre of the conductor. The effect of this is to reduce the actual cross sectional area of the cable at 15kHz to less than 75% of that at low frequencies. This results in higher distortion and compromises the performance of the cable.
QED X-Tube with polycore technology exhibits much lower self-inductance and is therefore less affected by this problem. The polycore technology reduces loop inductance to levels only achievable using more costly and difficult to terminate cables. So, with more high frequency detail, less distortion and greater performance, X-Tube delivers greater fidelity across the audio spectrum which would otherwise be lost in ordinary cables.
What is Airloc?
Airloc is a form of cold weld system that permanently attaches QED Forté banana plugs and spades to the entire range of QED and many other speaker cables. One of the main reasons for choosing a QED speaker cable is the superior d.c. resistance characteristics offered by their exclusive use of 99.999% OFC or oxygen free copper conductors. It isn't the smart thing to then go ruin all this attention to detail by neglecting the most vulnerable area of the speaker cable chain - that of the physical interface between cable and amplifier or speaker terminals. Since the mid 1970's there has been more co-operation between manufacturer's to allow for easier installation of good speaker cables and most products allow for use of both banana plugs and spade terminals. No, you don't have to use them, but they definitely have advantages over bare wire alone. Why?
Seen under a microscope the surface of a typical copper strand is very rough and so using normal screw type terminals - such as found on binding posts or cheap banana plugs - electrical contact is only made in a relatively small number of places. Add to this a layer of oxidation - which is inevitable if copper is exposed to the air for even a short time - and the combined resistance of the cable and its termination can creep back up to levels present in a more inferior cable.
By using a cold weld crimp type termination, QED Airloc Forté plugs squash the conductors and plug together to increase contact area and reduce resistance. By the time the full pressure has been applied the resistance of the joint has reached a minimum value.
Now, because all the air has been removed from the joint there will be no oxidisation of the contact surfaces so the low resistance will remain for the lifetime of the cable. During the cold weld process the cable and plug become one solid piece of metal. Since the copper contact has been effectively removed from the resistance equation we can concentrate on the plug to terminal resistance.
What are QED Forté Plugs?
The plugs themselves are made of solid brass which has roughly twice the resistivity of copper. For this reason the QED Forté 4mm banana plug was devised so that its cross-sectional area would be at least double that of the cable to which it was connected effectively cancelling out the extra resistance of the plug material. QED then plates the connector with high purity gold which has a resistivity almost as low as copper but more importantly does not oxidise in air. The relatively smooth gold surfaces provide a larger contact area than the uneven copper strands in the cable and because the gold will never oxidise the contact surface remains clean and low resistance for life.
The QED Forté plug pin section is designed to maximise contact area throughout the wide tolerance range encountered in 4mm amplifier and speaker sockets. Here some are quite tight whereas others are loose, so the spring loaded Forte blade is designed to fit into smaller and larger sockets with equal insertion force. This means that the contact area is maximised and the connection remains uniformly tight. QED Forté with Airloc technology is top-notch and delivers guaranteed low resistance and strength - for life.
Awards
What Hi-Fi? awarded the QED Silver Anniversary XT 'Product of the Year' 3 years running and had this to say about this remarkable cable: "nothing else at this price point sounds as superbly balanced and detailed".
The History Of QED
In 1973 Bob Abraham and Ian Vine founded QED Audio Products and changed the way people think about hi-fi cables. By the time QED 79 strand was launched in 1978, it wasn't considered' just another speaker cable' but a serious hi-fi component. During 1994 QED conducted the most extensive ever scientific investigation into the effects of speaker cable on hi-fi system performance. Read the results in "The Genesis Report". Hear the results whenever you listen to your favourite music using QED cables.
QED's reputation for innovation and technical excellence is known throughout the world. The latest computer-aided design techniques allow their research and development team to keep pace with technological advances and deliver products that achieve the highest levels of performance and reliability. This is why QED speaker cables are recommended by so many of the world's leading manufacturers of hi-fi and home theatre equipment. QED is Europe's number one award winning connectivity brand and has won more prestigious cable awards from 'What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision' magazine than any other brand (Awards 1981–2013). - QED - The Sound Of Science
Main Features & Specifications
- Product Description: QED Silver Anniversary XT speaker cable factory terminated with QED AirLoc Forté 4mm banana plugs and colour-coded heat shrink on all ends
- Dielectric: High performance low density polyethylene dielectric
- Conductors: Silver plated 99.999% OFC conductors
- Braid: Unique SPOFC triple braid 5 x 16 x 0.1mm
- Technology: QED X-Tube
- Outside Jacket: OD - 3.90mm
- Cross-Sectional Area: 1.50mm²
- Loop Resistance: 21m/m
- Capacitance: 50pF/m
- Inductance: 0.47H/m
- Dissipation Factor - 0.0006
- Use: Good for all music lovers
- Available Lengths: 2 Metre, 3 Metre and 5 Metre pairs
- Audio Trends also have custom lengths available - please enquire
- Manufacturer's Warranty: Lifetime
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE